The Hartford Convention Proposes Amendments to the Constitutuion

Today’s installment concludes The Hartford Convention,
the name of our combined selection from Simeon E. Baldwin and John S. Barry. The concluding installment, by John S. Barry from The History of Massachusetts, was published in 1857.

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Previously in The Hartford Convention.

Time: 1814
Place: Hartford, Connecticut

On the appointed day twenty-four delegates took their seats, and the convention was organized by the choice of George Cabot as president and Theodore Dwight as secretary. Each session of this body was opened with prayer; and, after its sessions had continued for three weeks, it was adjourned. The report of the committee, appointed at an early stage, suggested the following topics for the consideration of the convention: “The powers claimed by the Executive of the United States to determine conclusively in respect to calling out the militia of the States into the service of the United States, and the dividing the United States into military districts, with an officer of the army in each thereof, with discretionary authority from the Executive of the United States to call for the militia, to be under the command of such officer; the refusal of the Executive of the United States to supply or pay the militia of certain States, called out for their de fence, on the ground of their not having been, by the Executive of the State, put under the command of the commander over the military district; the failure of the Government of the United States to supply and pay the militia of the States, by them ad mitted to have been in the United States service; the report of the Secretary of War to Congress on filling the ranks of the army, together with a bill or act on that subject; the bill before Congress providing for classing and drafting the militia; the expenditure of the revenue of the nation in offensive operations on the neighboring provinces of the enemy; the failure of the Government of the United States to provide for the common defense, and the consequent obligations, necessity, and burdens devolved on the several States to defend themselves; together with the mode, the ways, and the means in their power for accomplishing the object.”

The report thus made was accepted and approved; and at a subsequent date, upon the report of a new committee which had been appointed, several amendments to the Federal Constitution were proposed, to be recommended to the several State legislatures for approval or rejection. These amendments, as in the published report, were:

1. Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union according to their respective number of free persons, including those bound to serve for a term of years, and excluding Indians not taxed and all others.
2. No new State shall be admitted into the Union by Congress, in virtue of the power granted by the Constitution, without the concurrence of two-thirds of both Houses.
3. Congress shall not have power to lay any embargo on the ships or vessels of the citizens of the United States in the ports and harbors thereof, for more than sixty days.
4. Congress shall not have power, without the concurrence of two-thirds of both Houses, to interdict the commercial intercourse between the United States and any foreign nation or the dependencies thereof.
5. Congress shall not make or declare war or authorize acts of hostility against any foreign nation, without the concurrence of two-thirds of both Houses, except such acts of hostility be in defense of the territories of the United States when actually invaded.
6. No person who shall hereafter be naturalized shall be eligible as a member of the Senate or House of Representatives of the United States, nor capable of holding any civil office under the authority of the United States.
7. The same person shall not be elected President of the United States a second time; nor shall the President be elected from the same State two terms- in succession.”

Such was the “treason” of the Hartford Convention —- a “treason” with which Anti-Federalists had once largely sympathized; for the very amendments proposed by this convention were substantially such as had been agitated at the time of the adoption of the Constitution, and deemed necessary by its opponents to prevent the encroachments of the Federal Government. But time often changes the opinions of men, or at least induces forgetfulness of once favorite measures.

This ends our selections on The Hartford Convention by two of the most important authorities of this topic:

• Great Events by Famous People, Volume 15 by Simeon E. Baldwin published in 1905.
• The History of Massachusetts by John S. Barry published in 1857.

Simeon E. Baldwin began here. John S. Barry began here.

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More information on The Hartford Convention here and here and below.

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